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By CORA CURRIER/ProPublica Sept. 17, 2013 — The U.S. spent roughly $25 billion last year on what’s loosely known as security assistance — a term that can cover everything from training Afghan security forces to sending Egypt F-16 fighter jets to equipping Mexican port police with radiation scanners. The spending, which has soared in the […]

Rampage shootings have often prompted legislators in those states to contemplate tightening rules after rampage shootings, but a ProPublica survey shows few measures gained passage. In fact, several states have made it easier to buy more guns and take them to more places.

Some of the nation’s top medical schools cracked down on professors who give paid promotional talks for drugmakers last year, and the firms themselves cut back on such spending in the wake of mounting scrutiny. ProPublica first published its Dollars for Docs database in October 2010 listing payments to doctors from seven drug companies. When we updated it this September — with data from five additional companies — spending by some of the firms was down.

Political parties and other powerful players use the once-a-decade redistricting process to advance their own goals — often at the expense of voters. A recently released trove of email messages from Ohio offers a rare inside glimpse into how it works. The messages, sent from June to September, show collaboration between the national GOP and state Republicans to redraw Ohio’s maps and thus cement control of both the statehouse and a majority of congressional districts.

Dale Critz Jr. had millions riding on his bid for a presidential pardon. Scion of a prominent family in Savannah, Critz was poised to inherit the luxury car dealerships his grandfather had built. But Critz’s past blocked his way. Years earlier in Florida, he pleaded guilty to a felony for his part in a scheme to falsify loan documents for low-income car buyers. The conviction could have prevented him from owning the family business. So in late 2000, Critz embarked on a campaign for forgiveness, enlisting the help of Republican Rep. Jack Kingston, a family friend, Georgia neighbor, and regular recipient of political donations from Critz and his family.

The Federal Election Commission, which regulates the flow of political cash, has been plagued by persistent gridlock on some key areas of campaign finance. Why’s that important? Because, as a new report shows, more money is coming in and much of it is flowing in through new and barely regulated groups.

A 1998 safety panel was reassured X-ray body scanners wouldn’t see widespread use. Today, despite having a safer alternative that the U.S. government deems highly effective, the Transportation Security Administration is marching millions of airline passengers through the scanners, parting ways with European countries that concluded radiation from routine airport use poses a health risk.

A closer look at protests in five countries — including the tent occupations that prefigured Occupy Wall Street. Many of the protests elsewhere grew out of movements that pre-date Occupy Wall Street and out of frustrations that, though similar in some ways, are also specific to their countries.

A simple rule meant to cut paperwork for U.S. companies has grown into one of the biggest multinational tax breaks around, costing the United States and other governments billions of dollars in lost taxes each year. It thrives thanks to determined business support, including a campaign two years ago that forced the Obama administration to retreat from altering it and tax professionals worldwide who exploit its benefits.

By CHARLES ORNSTEIN, TRACY WEBER and DAN NGUYEN/ProPublica Eight pharmaceutical companies, including the nation’s three largest, doled out more than $220 million last year to promotional speakers for their products, according to a ProPublica analysis of company data. For the first time, all these companies have reported a full year of payments, allowing for head-to-head […]

Last week, both the Los Angeles Times and The Nation put the spotlight on a little-known but influential conservative nonprofit that creates “model” state legislation that often make its way into law. The American Legislative Exchange Council has helped craft some of the most controversial — and industry-friendly — legislation of recent years.

about this page

Some criminals have their photos and crimes plastered all over the Internet, so people know who they are and what they did. Not politicians -- until now. The Crooked Politician Registry is an archive of info on public servants who crossed the line.

do it yourself corruption investigation

Most public corruption cases in Georgia are prosecuted in federal court. The U.S. attorney for North Georgia, including metro Atlanta, has an excellent Web site with archived news releases on prominent cases.

Federal court files may be searched online for a nominal fee through PACER. (The first $10 a year of searches are free.)

With the right keywords, online search engines will also turn up news releases or court rulings on a particular case at no cost.

You can also search the Georgia and federal prison systems to find inmates and their crimes.